


I Want To Be Your Last First Kiss

by ObsidionWingsofMidnight



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, also i don't wanna just totally rip them off you feel me, but i read that most popular makoharu one for free and i HAD to, but i'm doing most things differently because i can, gotta make it hard for them cuz that's just how i roll, hahahahaha, here i am with another ongoing fic, i don't even have a laptop rn what is wrong with me, i should definitely not be writing this but here i am as always, i totally should have mentioned that sooner lol, i'll rename this later btw, one day they'll all be done, rated T for truly terrible at not cussing, so it starts off kinda similar, tadashi is blind, that would be totally not chill, the color one, to think there was a time i never swore, what a wild thought, you know the one, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:45:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9877505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidionWingsofMidnight/pseuds/ObsidionWingsofMidnight
Summary: What's that?! It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's that one idiot with another au!!!This time it's soulmates cuz I'm always a slut for soulmate au's, and I've never written one before.What kind of soulmate au you ask? The colors one of course. For clarification to anyone new to the idea: You don't see colors until you meet your soulmate."Fred met the most beautiful pair of eyes he'd ever seen, and his world exploded in color.He sucked in a breath and tried not to faint. It was everything people said it was, and yet nothing like he had expected. He felt something unclench inside him that he hadn't even known existed, and it felt like the world had suddenly opened up before him. Everything felt lighter somehow, and he found himself wondering if he'd float away.His soulmate didn't share any of these feelings as far as he could tell.His soulmate didn't see any colors. He didn't see anything at all. He was blind."





	1. Are You All Ready For This

Soulmates are supposed to be such a wonderful thing. They say finding your soulmate is the best thing that will ever happen to you.

The day you meet your soulmate is the day you see colors.

It's a natural phenomenon that scientists dedicate their lives to, but nobody can explain why it happens. All anyone knows is that the first time you look into your soulmate's eyes, your world explodes in colors. Before that you can only see in shades of gray.

To see color is everyone's dream. Those that have the privilege don't stop gushing about how amazing it is. It changes your whole world to see things in color. It changes your whole world when you find the person you're destined to be with.

Fred saw the world in shades of gray.

He wondered what it would be like to see in colors. He, like many others, kept a small pocketbook of colors so that when he finally met his soulmate he'd be able to identify all the colors he saw.

It wasn't like his whole life relied on seeing colors, but he wanted to be able to see them someday. After all, if you never saw colors, then you never met your soulmate. And Fred wanted a soulmate more than anything.

He was happy with his life. He had no reason not to be. He was born into a wealthy family so money wasn't an issue, he had great friends, and he was enjoying his life at university.

Still, that didn't mean he didn't want to find love. He knew it was possible to fall in love without meeting your soulmate, but society always insisted that it wasn't the same. He thought it was rather rude to tell people that, but he supposed he couldn't stop them from doing it.

And although he was by no means a supporter of finding a soulmate being the only possible way to live happily, there was always a little voice telling him what they said might be true.

What might he be missing out on by not meeting his soulmate?

He sighed, trying to push the thoughts aside. He had other things to do. Namely, finding his wallet so he could get some dinner. He was famished.

He entered his new apartment building and started taking the steps two at a time. Unfortunately the elevator was broken right now, but at least he only lived on the third floor.

He just moved in yesterday, and he still had some unpacking to do, but food took priority at the moment. He hadn't had any time between classes earlier to eat lunch, so he was extra hungry.

Now that he had run up all those stairs he was starting to realize that three flights was a long way up if you ran. He wasn't exactly out of shape, but he wasn’t exactly the picture of human fitness either. Running up those stairs every day would make a great workout routine if he wanted one.

He made it inside his apartment a little out of breath but in one piece. Boy, he thought he couldn't get any hungrier, but he sure was wrong.

His apartment was small, but it was cozy if you asked him. Plus, it made it a lot easier to find things. For example, the wallet he had run up all those godforsaken stairs for.

He found it beneath a pile of clothes on the floor- don't ask him how he already managed to create one of those after just one day- and booked it for the door. He didn't care if dinosaurs started raining from the skies- nothing was going to stop him from getting some dinner _right now_.

He was so determined that he nearly bowled over someone as soon as he burst through the door.

"Holy sh- are you okay? I am so sorry," he said, grabbing onto the other man's shoulders to keep them both upright. Way to go Fred, try not to kill someone just because you're hungry.

The man in front of him laughed, and the sound was so heavenly Fred snapped his eyes up to his face.

And then it happened.

Fred met the most beautiful pair of eyes he'd ever seen, and his world exploded in color.

He sucked in a breath and tried not to faint. It was everything people said it was, and yet nothing like he had expected. He felt something unclench inside him that he hadn't even known existed, and it felt like the world had suddenly opened up before him. Everything felt lighter somehow, and he found himself wondering if he'd float away.

His soulmate didn't share any of these feelings as far as he could tell.

His soulmate didn't see any colors. He didn't see anything at all. He was blind.

* * *

 

Tadashi heard the other gasp and assumed they realized he was blind. He didn't think much of it- he was used to it.

He smiled in reassurance. "It's alright. Where were you going in such a hurry?" he chuckled.

The other man- he assumed it was a man- let go of his shoulders and apologized again. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have blasted out of my apartment like a man on fire. I was so focused on food that I didn't think about the fact that other people live here," he said.

Tadashi felt his practiced smile turn into a real one. "Food, huh?"

"Ah, yeah, I'm starving. I haven't had any time to eat anything since breakfast."

"Yikes. Well, I forgive you for almost taking me out just now. I totally understand," he laughed. He'd probably do the same thing if it were him.

He heard the other close the door next to them and the sound of a key locking it.

"Glad to hear it. I'm Fred by the way. I just moved in yesterday," the other man introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Fred. I'm Tadashi," he replied, holding his hand out in front of him. Fred shook it, and Tadashi noted how warm the other's hand was. It felt nice.

Fred was also noting how nice Tadashi's hand felt. It felt like their hands were meant to fit together.

Of course, he had to keep the handshake at a normal length of time which was a bummer. He could hardly hold hands with his soulmate for no reason when his soulmate didn't even know they were soulmates.

God, he hoped they were soulmates. At the very least, Tadashi was Fred's soulmate, but he had no idea if he was Tadashi's. It wasn't like the moment their eyes met Tadashi's blindness was magically gone. That would have made it a lot easier if that had happened.

"I'm still sorry about nearly running you over just now," he said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"I don't mind," Tadashi said, and the smile he directed at Fred made his knees go weak. He'd only known his soulmate for like ten seconds, and he was already head over heels for the dude.

His stomach took that moment to announce its displeasure at not being fed, rumbling loudly and making Fred flush. It was a little embarrassing, but the giggle he heard escape Tadashi's lips made up for it.

"You should probably take care of that. I'd hate to get in the way of you and your dinner again."

"Ha, yeah... I probably should. Know any good places to eat around here? I'm too new to know where anything is over here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Before he met Tadashi he was just planning on running around until he found somewhere that sold food, but he was reluctant to leave the other. He just met his soulmate damn it- he wanted to spend more time with him. He'd milk this conversation for all it was worth if he had to.

"I know a few places. Would you like to have dinner together?"

It looked like he didn't have to.

* * *

 

Dinner???? Together???? Why in God's name did Tadashi say that?! What kind of person asked someone out to dinner right after meeting them?!

Sure, soulmates probably did, but he wasn't soulmates with anyone. The whole blindness kind of took him out of the picture.

Fred probably thought he was lonely weirdo with no friends.

He couldn't help it though. For some reason he found himself drawn to his new acquaintance.

"Absolutely!" Fred exclaimed. Well, he didn't sound like he was judging Tadashi for his weird request. Thank goodness for that.

He forced himself to act naturally. "Great. Shall we?"

* * *

 

Dinner was amazing.

Tadashi took him to a little Thai place that was squished between a barber shop and a laundromat. The food was mind blowing and the company even more so.

He learned that Tadashi had a little brother named Hiro who was some sort of robotics genius, and that before he moved out he had lived with his aunt. His parents had died in the car crash that also took his sight.

Fred in turn told him about the mansion he'd grown up in, and how he had moved out because he wanted to know what it was like to live how most people did. He told him about his parents and how he loved them, but they were never home and always felt distant even when they were right in front of him. He told him about his butler Heathcliff, about his hobbies, and about being a literature major specializing in poetry.

He didn't mean to spill his life's story, but the words just never seemed to stop. At least Tadashi didn't mind his rambling.

"Do you write your own poetry then?" Tadashi asked, head tilting adorably to the side.

"Oh yeah. I write all the time. It's just so freeing to me. It's a great way to express myself," he said.

Tadashi hummed quietly in response. "Working on any poems right now then?" He smiled coyly at him, and Fred nearly forgot how to breathe.

"I think I'm going to have to in order to get all these newfound feelings about colors out of my head," he said without thinking. He almost slapped his hand over his mouth in horror.

Tadashi blinked at him a few times. "Colors? You've found your soulmate then?"

Fred wished he could go back in time and shut his big fat mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll rename it later when I have time. Won't get updated for a while, probs not til I get a new laptop which won't be til like late april. That's life kiddos.
> 
> Edit: I totally forgot to credit which fic inspired this. What a dumbass, am I right???? It's Color Me in Love by AleishaDreams. Sorry bout that. Also the new title comes from the song Inevitable by Anberlin ( I miss anberlin)


	2. Paint Me A Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wowee zowee it's been a while  
> and by a while i mean a fucking long time

Good going, Fred. All you had to do was not tell your soulmate that you were soulmates because he clearly doesn’t feel the same pull you do. And what did you do? You basically just told him that you found your soulmate. You idiot, Fred thought to himself.

“Uhhhh…” he said intelligibly. Quick Fred! Make up an excuse! Tell him you’ve just been researching colors for a project, and you don’t actually know what colors look like! Tell him you were just kidding! Tell him you’re a pathological liar! Just don’t tell him- “Yeah, I met my soulmate today.”

For fuck’s sake.

Tadashi only tilted his head a little and smiled sweetly. “Oh. That’s nice. How do you like them so far?” It could have been Fred’s hopeful imagination, but it seemed like the other was a little disappointed.

“Oh, he’s uh, he’s really nice. I mean, we just met, but he seems like a great guy. You know, from what little I know about him. But uh, yeah, he’s great,” he managed to stumble out. Also, he was the most beautiful thing Fred had ever seen and they had just eaten a wonderful dinner together, but that didn’t seem like a good thing to bring up.

“Well, congratulations. So do you think you’ll be seeing a lot more of them?” Tadashi asked.

Fred sure hoped so. He might die if he didn’t. Of course, if he told Tadashi that wouldn’t the other wonder why the two of them were spending so much time together? Wouldn’t he wonder why Fred wasn’t off with someone else? Oh no, he had no idea what he was supposed to say. Should he just tell him the truth and let Tadashi crush his fragile hopes under his sneaker while smiling apologetically the whole while?

Apparently he took too long to answer because Tadashi interrupted his mental freak out. “Oh, I’m sorry! You don’t have to talk to me about it if you don’t want to. It’s so personal… I shouldn’t have asked when we barely even know each other!” he said. There was a light blush dusting his cheeks as he waved his hands apologetically in front of him.

“Huh? Oh! No, no, it’s not that! I don’t mind at all! Ask whatever you want!” he rushed to assure him. Truth be told, he would probably jump off a cliff if Tadashi asked him to find out what it was like. “I was just- lost in my thoughts, you know?”

 He absolutely did not want to scare off his soulmate. He very much wanted to keep Tadashi near him, preferably getting much closer so they could fall in love properly and then, you know, spend the rest of their lives together. Was that so much to ask for?!

It probably was.

Tadashi's lips curled up in a small smile, making Fred's heart flutter.

Oh God, how was he going to survive if Tadashi rejected him? The answer was that he wouldn't. He would clearly wither away into nothing, or drown in his tears, or something else equally awful.

"I'm glad we met, Fred. You're a really nice guy," Tadashi said.

And wasn't that just the most amazing thing he'd ever heard? He took back what he said earlier about dying when Tadashi rejected him. He was obviously going to die right now instead. The one big difference was that this way he would die happy.

He was grateful Tadashi couldn't see how red he was because that would have been embarrassing. "Thanks, dude. I really like y- really like spending time with you too. You're also, like, a super nice guy," he babbled. Man, he wanted to swallow his tongue. He was begging his brain to find at least a little chill, but something was getting lost in translation.

Fortunately, Tadashi didn't seem to notice how awkward he was. Or, you know, he didn't say anything about it. He was so nice; he probably wouldn't say anything if he did. Did Fred mention how much he loved this guy?

Their waiter interrupted his musings with the check, and he hurried to pay for both of them. Tadashi protested of course, but Fred refused to give in. This may not have been a date, but he still had manners. After all, he had almost knocked Tadashi over when they first met. It was the least he could do.

As soon as that was taken care of the two of them stepped outside to walk back home.

"So...got any other plans tonight?" Fred asked. He tried to come off casual, but he was practically begging the heavens to let him keep the other with him a little longer.

Tadashi paused, tapping his cane on the sidewalk absentmindedly. "No... I don't think so."

"Want to go for a walk?"

"Trying to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood some more?" Tadashi teased lightly.

Fred laughed good naturedly and admitted that yes that was what he had been hoping. He didn't tell him it was about wanting to spend more time with his soulmate.

"Well, I don't see why not. You'll have to lead though," Tadashi said, gesturing at his cane.

Fred almost smacked himself for not thinking of that. It was amazing the kinds of things you didn't realize would affect someone until you met them. Now how was he going to do this?

"Right. Uh, do you want to hold on to my arm or something? Is that a thing? God, sorry about this. I'm new to this sort of thing," he said. He was probably coming off as some sort of ableist jackass. Maybe he was an ableist jackass.

As if he could hear Fred's internal panicking, Tadashi reached out a hand and felt along his arm until he reached his shoulder. "Fred. It's okay. An arm would be great," he said gently, a soft smile on his lips.

And just like that, Fred felt fine. He felt better than fine actually; he felt like he could fly. Love was such a wondrous thing.

* * *

The walks became a daily thing. During the days they would go to their own respective schools of higher education, and when the evening rolled around they would go for a walk. Most times they had dinner together first, whether it be in each other's apartments or around the neighborhood.

Fred never realized he could be so happy.

It wasn't that he had been depressed or anything before, but now that he knew Tadashi it was like a whole new world had shown up at his doorstep. The first time he had that thought he ended up hearing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin in his head for the rest of the day. Which was fun because, well, _Disney_ , but also not great because it made it harder to concentrate.

Something else that became common was Fred describing colors to Tadashi. At first it was just because Tadashi was curious and asked about it, but after he started doing it, Fred just couldn't stop. He liked to share colors with Tadashi. It was fun. It let him be creative. And most of all, it gave him a small way to share the way he felt about colors in a way that he hoped his soulmate would understand.

"Hmm. What color is this leaf?" Tadashi asked, holding it out in front of them as they sat side by side on a grassy hilltop.

Fred pulled gently from his hand to examine it closer. "It's red," he replied. "Well, mostly anyway."

"What kind of red?" Tadashi smiled, leaning in to Fred's side and making his heart skip a beat.

"It's...faded. It's like the fading of autumn before winter. It's cloudy skies and scarves, but there's no snow or bite to the air. It's the fire dying down. It's hot cocoa cooling in your hands," he said, getting the obvious ones out first.

He had to think a bit before he could continue. "It's old photographs of happy memories. Where the joy you felt is there but not as close as it used to be. It's your favorite sweater that you've had so long there are holes in the sleeves. It's when you hug someone goodbye and feel their warmth leave your skin. It's when your anger dulls and becomes regret. It's..."

He paused to peek at Tadashi out of the corner of his eye.

"It's a kiss that could have been but never was."

Tadashi was silent, but Fred could have sworn that he pressed a little further into his side. That could have just been wistful thinking though.

"You know, Fred," Tadashi began, leaning his head onto Fred's shoulder, "I'll never be able to see colors. Not unless a miracle occurs that is."

He paused while Fred fought to calm his rapidly beating heart. "But when you describe them I feel like I can anyways."

He let the words sink in. Fred wanted to cry knowing that he finally got his soulmate to see colors. Not the way he truly wanted, but this was good enough. He didn't tell Tadashi that though. Just like he didn't tell Tadashi that the leaf was the same red that he felt while they sat there. It was red, like his heart that was full of longing for someone that sat beside him; someone who by all rights should have felt the exact same way as soulmates ought to. It was red like unrequited love.

He didn't say any of that.

Instead he wound an arm around Tadashi's shoulders and the two of them sat there in comfortable silence until the sun started to set.

And the days continued to pass normally after that. They would go to school, they would eat dinner, they would walk, and they would talk.

Until the day it rained.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you ever start something and then you're like "what the fuck did i get myself into?? *incoherent screeching*" cuz I do that a lot. But I did find out that i wrote a rough outline when I first started this fic which I had totally forgotten about in the months following, so that's nice. Now i actually know what to do lol
> 
> Also describing colors without saying other colors is fucking hard and I mAdE A gRAvE mIsTaKe iN wRItInG tHiS
> 
> And although I live for slow burns, I think this fic will actually be relatively short compared to virtually everything else I've ever written.


	3. It's Raining, It's Pouring, Not Joining Groups is Boring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the Parents. 
> 
> Oh wait no. I meant friends. No parents here lol

It was raining so hard that Fred swore he saw an old man start building an arc out in the street.

He wondered if Honey and Wasabi would be able to find his apartment in the downpour. It was their first time visiting him in his new home, and we worried that they would have trouble finding their way when it was so hard to see anything.

He groaned and flopped gracelessly onto his couch. They would probably be fine. They were both level headed, incredibly intelligent people, and he was sure Honey would call if they got lost.

They would be fine. Hopefully they'd get there without too much hassle and then they could order food and watch movies and argue about said movies like they always did.

Speaking of arguing, Wasabi had been pestering him about the sweater he'd borrowed a couple weeks ago. Fred meant to return it sooner, he really did, but he just...forgot. First it was because he'd ended up packing it with all his other stuff for the move. Now it just kept slipping his mind. Even when he wore it.

Now that he thought about it, where had he put that sweater? He wore it just the other day, so it had to be somewhere....

He thought long and hard, racking his brain for a clue while he wondered around the apartment.

And then it hit him. He'd worn it while he and Tadashi ate spaghetti in the other's apartment. He took it off to make sure he didn't get any stains on it- he wasn't the cleanest of eaters- and then... He left it there. Oops.

He sighed. Well, he better go get it before he forgot again. Wasabi might blow a gasket if he didn't. He said his closet didn't look right without it in its designated spot.

He hadn't been planning on visiting Tadashi that day, since they both had other plans, but it seemed like they were destined to meet up anyways. It was cool though. After all, he wasn't going to complain about seeing his soulmate again. Life was always better with Tadashi around.

He sauntered out of his apartment and popped on over to Tadashi's door. He was fairly certain that Tadashi was in there, since he heard some muffled voices on his side of the wall.

He knocked on the door to the tune of the Pokémon theme song, humming along quietly as he did so. He always knocked on doors like that. Firstly, because it was fun. Secondly, most people figured out it was him knocking. And thirdly, he always had some song stuck in his head. That day it just happened to be the Pokémon theme song.

There was some muted talking on the other side of the door before it was unceremoniously thrown open and Fred found himself blinking down at a short Asian kid.

"Who are you?" the kid asked, crossing his arms and inspecting him closely.

"Uh..." he replied intelligibly.

He was saved from his own stupidity by his soulmate.

"Hiro, that's not a polite way to greet someone. And this is Fred," Tadashi said, stepping past Hiro to introduce them. "Fred, this is my little brother Hiro." He put a hand on the younger kid's shoulder and pulled him closer.

Hiro scowled at being tugged, but his glare did soften a bit at the knowledge it wasn't some stranger knocking on Tadashi's door. On the other hand....

Now that he thought about it, Tadashi had been talking a lot about this Fred guy lately. He did say they were neighbors and that it contributed to them seeing each other so often. But this was strictly meant to be bonding time between Tadashi and Hiro. And Gogo, but only because she butted her way in and there was no way she would leave.

Tadashi's weirdly close neighbor absolutely did not belong there right now.

Hiro's eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what the guy wanted and what the fastest way to get him to leave would be.

"Oh! Well, uh, nice to meet you, dude," Fred said, holding a hand out to him.

Hiro shook it with a little more force than was strictly necessary and held back a smile at Fred's wince. "Nice to meet you too. But if you don't mind, we're actually kind of busy right now, so-"

" _Hiro_ ," Tadashi reprimanded, the hand on his brother's shoulder squeezing in warning. He had his patented big-brother-is-disappointed-in-you frown on.

Hiro sighed but threw his hands up in defeat. He wished Gogo would hurry up and get out of the bathroom. She'd be able to get the new guy to leave because she was immune to 98% of Tadashi's disappointed looks.

"Did you need something, Fred? I thought you were spending the night with some friends," Tadashi said, returning his attention to his neighbor.

Fred shifted warily on his feet, glancing back and forth between the brothers before replying. "Uh, yeah. That's actually why I stopped by. My friend lent me his sweater a while ago and wants it back. I think I left it over here a few days ago?"

Tadashi smiled sunnily at him, and Fred swore the gray clouds outside disappeared for a moment at its brightness. "Oh yeah, I remember that. You were afraid you'd spill something else on it," he giggled.

Sweet Jesus, that giggle was too cute.

Hold up a second.

"Wait, what you mean 'something else'?" he asked.

Tadashi looked puzzled for a minute before he raised a hand up to his mouth, trying to hide the smile threatening to overtake his face. "Fred... You sprayed a bottle of soda on yourself when you opened it after forgetting that you'd been juggling with it."

The blood drained out of the blonde’s face. " _Oh my God_. I totally forgot about that. How did I forget about that?! Wasabi is going to kill me. Brutally. You're gonna hear about it on the news tomorrow. I can see the headlines now: Local Idiot Gets Murdered by Best Friend for Staining His Sweater," he groaned, burying his face into the doorjamb.

Tadashi finally gave in to his amusement and his laughter rang out through the apartment.

"Quit laughing, man! I'm serious! You don't know Wasabi- he's very serious about everything being pristine. And he's got the muscle structure of someone who could bench press me!" he said, trying to sound affronted but failing spectacularly. He couldn't help but laugh along. Tadashi's laughter was infectious.

It felt so good that he forgot all about how Tadashi's little brother didn't seem to like him.

Tadashi wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to catch his breath, but a few giggles still managed to escape. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. I washed it when I realized you left it here. Hiro and Gogo even checked to make sure there wasn't a stain on it. It's over- oh, thanks, Hiro," he said as his brother pushed the aforementioned sweater into his arms.

Fred's jaw almost dropped at the gesture of kindness. "Dude, have I ever told you that you're like the best friend ever? Because you totally are! YOU'RE THE BEST!" he shouted, throwing his arms around him in an excited hug. He felt Tadashi's breath tickle his ear as he huffed out another laugh.

"Who the hell is this guy?" a new voice asked.

He dropped his arms and peered over Tadashi's shoulder at the Japanese girl sizing him up.

"Gogo this is Fred," Tadashi said as he turned around to face her direction. Fred waved and smiled but she didn't return either gesture.

"Oh, so this is the guy you never stop talking about," she said nonchalantly, plopping down in an armchair.

Tadashi blushed at that. "I don't talk about him that much," he tried to defend himself.

"Sure you don't. And the pope is a reptile from space," she retorted. Fred felt a little warm inside at the knowledge that Tadashi apparently liked to talk about him. He was sure they could have gone on bickering for a while longer, but a shout down the hallway interrupted them.

"Freddy!" A familiar voice yelled cheerfully.

He turned to peer down the hallway and met the eyes of his rain soaked friends. "Hey, guys!" He only had a second to brace himself before Honey threw herself at him and the pair crashed to the floor.

He gasped at the combination of the cold and the impact.

"Freddy, you would not believe how crazy it is out there! The cabbie had to go slowly because none of us were sure where your street was and it was so hard to see in the rain! And it's so windy that my umbrella turned inside out and got ripped out of my hand! I'm really going to miss that umbrella. It was so cute..." she mused.

Fred chuckled at that. "I'll get you a new one to make up for it. But would you mind getting off? You're freezing and soaking wet," he said, poking her leg from where it straddled him. He could already feel the water seeping through his shirt and pants from where they'd collided.

She gasped and apologized, pulling the two of them to their feet. "But if you really want to get me a new umbrella, there's this adorable one I saw in a shop window last week. It was pink and it had little bees printed on it!"

"Is this really the time and place for this conversation? Because I'm also very cold and wet, and I would much prefer being warm and dry," Wasabi cut in politely.

Fred brushed the dust off his pants and slapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Oh yeah, sorry, dude. Here, why don't we- oh hey! Here's your sweater back! You can change into this!" he exclaimed, plucking the garment out of Tadashi's hands and shoving it into Wasabi's.

His friends realized for the first time that they were not alone. To their credit, they didn't look the least bit surprised that he was wearing sunglasses indoors on a rainy day. They were just startled there was anyone there at all. They stared at Fred in expectation.

"Oh right. Guys, _this_ ," he said, throwing an arm over Tadashi's shoulder and pulling him into the hallway, "-is Tadashi Hamada, my new neighbor _and_ new best friend. That's right- you have another member to add to the club because this guy is amazing.

"Tadashi, these two are my other best friends- Wasabi and Honey Lemon," he said.

"Wasabi and Honey Lemon," Hiro deadpanned in the room behind them. He could not sound less impressed.

Fred did his best not to wilt at the fact that Tadashi's brother seemed to have a vendetta against him. Honey however, was not deterred at all by his attitude.

She leaned around Fred to address Hiro. "Freddy likes to give all of his friends nicknames! They're pretty fitting!" she chirped.

"I spilled wasabi on my shirt one time! One time!" Wasabi moaned.

Fred just shrugged. It happened the first day the met- of course Fred was going to remember him because of it. How could he forget watching a huge buff dude dissolve into hysterics at the sight of a small blotch of wasabi on his shirt? They'd had this conversation before, and Fred was not about to change his mind.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tadashi said. He smiled and held out a hand for them to shake.

"You too!" Honey replied. "Although actually, I do recognize you. I've seen you and your friends on campus at SFIT- Wasabi and I are also students there."

Fred looked back and forth between the three of them. "Seriously?! How did I not know that?"

"You're usually too distracted by whatever we're working on to notice the people there I guess," Wasabi answered, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Well, he felt pretty dumb now.

"Oh, that's right. I recognize your voices now. You're working on chemical metal embrittlement, right?" Tadashi asked, curiosity piqued.

"I am! It's amazing- the resources we have at SFIT are-"

Hiro cleared his throat loudly and everyone snapped their attention to him.

"I hate to break up your little...whatever this is. But we were about to order food and get a good discussion going about the DC cinematic universe and I'm getting hungry, so..."

Fred whistled low at that. "Wow, that'll be a doozy. You've got hours worth of conversation there."

"Oh my God! Have you guys seen Wonder Woman yet? Because that was life changing, and I can honestly say that I've never been more bisexual in my entire life than when I watched that film," Honey's words came tumbling out in a rush. She really loved that movie. She and Fred had seen it four times. Wasabi only went with them twice because that was the max amount of times he'd visit a theater for one movie.

Soon enough the whole room was arguing passionately about the film, what their thoughts were, where they hoped it would go in the future, etc. Even Hiro forgot that he was supposed to be annoyed at people intruding on his brother bonding time.

Everyone came to an unspoken agreement that the two groups would join together for the night. Why split up when they could make a bigger and more interesting group?

There was only a brief pause when Fred's side of the gang ran next door to change out of their wet clothes, and that only took a few minutes at most. To be fair, they were all rushing to get back to the conversation.

The three of them returned to Tadashi's apartment in various states of undress just to keep talking and making sure they were getting their points across. Wasabi came back fully clothed like the good, upstanding citizen that he was. Honey had scrambled back into the room with a pair of Fred's sweats pulled up to her knees- and a baggy sweatshirt that thankfully went halfway down her thighs- just so she could point out that there was every possibility of Steve Trevor being trans. Fred had been the opposite of her and ran back into the room with pants on, but his shirt and sweater shoved onto his arms but not over his head.

He plopped down next to Tadashi on his little green couch and continued to talk without pulling it on fully. If he did that it would have to go over his face for a second, and he didn't want it to muffle his words. "No, I totally agree! Like in that bathing scene! When she's asking him if all men look like him-"

"I concede that point, but would they really let a trans man into the military? I mean this is World War I we're talking about! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure having women in the military was frowned upon back then. And you _know_ they would have considered him a woman," Hiro interrupted. He was leaning across his brother's chest to point his finger at Fred while he was perched on the armrest.

"Okay, ignoring the historically appropriate levels of transphobia at the time, I just want to point out that historical accuracy shouldn't be a very strong argument to bring up here," Gogo replied. "I mean, an Amazonian Warrior Princess/ Demigod was the main character of the movie, so clearly historical accuracy went out the window."

They continued to talk back and forth and Fred took a moment to lean back and just relax. It was nice being in a group larger than three people that could all contribute to the conversation when they wanted to without feeling out of place.

He felt a light nudge to his shoulder and turned to face Tadashi.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked slyly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Huh? Oh right." He shrugged the sweater over his head and tugged on it until it was on completely. It was definitely warmer when he was wearing his clothes properly.

He draped his left arm on the back of the couch behind Tadashi's head, not noticing the suspicious look that Hiro shot him for it. He honestly wasn't trying to make a move or anything. It was just comfortable that way. But Hiro didn't know that, filing the information away for later use.

Fred seemed like a nice guy, but looks can be deceiving. He still remembered the last time Tadashi got involved with someone, and he was not going to let him repeat that experience. He was going to make sure that Fred knew not to mess around with his brother's feelings. He'd drill it into Fred's head if he needed to.

But not that night. He wasn't about to ruin a good evening like that.

Not when Tadashi looked so happy.

Another night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> protective Hiro emerges and he's gonna keep an eye on Fred


	4. What's Your Deal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here i am...again....after a million years....

Fred and Tadashi's friends all ended up liking each other so much that they permanently merged into one big group.

Both of them were thrilled at this development, but sometimes Fred got the feeling that Honey and Wasabi liked Tadashi more than Gogo and Hiro liked Fred. Which was fine- they weren't obligated to like him or anything- it just made him feel a little weird sometimes.

Gogo wasn't that big a deal. It was kind of just her way of showing affection by not being affectionate at all. So she was fine; Fred thought she liked him well enough.

Hiro was another matter.

There was always something floating beneath the surface of all his interactions with Hiro that made it feel like he was being carefully observed. Like the kid was waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

For example, just the other day he caught Hiro glaring daggers at him when Fred had draped his jacket over Tadashi's shoulders after he mentioned being cold. Fred had almost stumbled in his tracks when he noticed, suddenly finding himself wondering if it was offensive in Japanese culture to put your jacket on someone.

It wasn't. He looked it up to make sure.

So yeah, Hiro had something against him, and he wasn't sure what.

It wasn't really an ideal situation to have with your soulmate's brother.

He was hoping it would wear off after getting to know Hiro better, but unfortunately it did not. Well, it did a little bit, but not much.

He decided to ask Tadashi about it.

"Is there a reason Hiro doesn't seem to like me much?" he blurted out during one of their walks.

Tadashi stopped, turning his head and tilting it a bit in askance. "What do you mean?"

Oh lord, was he the only one who had noticed that Hiro had it out for him? Was it all just in his head? Was he just a paranoid idiot? Was Tadashi going to yell at him for accusing his brother of something like that?

"Well... I just kind of get the feeling sometimes that he, you know, doesn't like me. I mean, he's nice most of the time and he's fun to be around, but occasionally he gives me these looks like I shoved dead slugs into his shoes. Like, did I do something to offend him or something?" he tried to explain without sounding like a paranoid idiot.

Tadashi just snorted delicately at him. (God, why was that so cute?)

"You haven't done anything wrong, Fred. Hiro's just being a little overprotective, that's all," he said, patting him consolingly with the hand that wasn't entwined with Fred's arm.

"You're sure?" he asked. He wasn't entirely convinced.

"Positive," Tadashi replied. He leaned a little closer to Fred, and the blond had to fight to remember why he'd been so concerned.

"How come he doesn't act that way with Wasabi and Honey then?"

Tadashi didn't answer right away, but after a moment he said, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because we're neighbors and see each other more often?"

It sort of made sense- after all, Fred was the first one to meet Tadashi, and they did see each other a _lot_. Although, even as Tadashi said it, he didn't sound like he fully believed that either. And was that a blush that Fred spotted?

Nah, it must have been the cold air. It was getting pretty chilly lately.

"Well, here's hoping he warms up to me sooner or later," he half joked.

* * *

"Freddy, are you ever going to tell Tadashi that you're soulmates?" Honey asked out of the blue one night when they were chopping vegetables for soup.

Fred's hand slipped and he sliced the tip of his finger.

"Ouch!" he yelped, dropping the knife and sucking on the cut. "Warn a guy before you throw that at him out of nowhere, will you?" He tried to smile light-heartedly at her, but he was pretty sure it came out as more of a grimace.

She set the cutting boards aside before turning to him, hands on her hips and eyes full of stubborn concern. "Freddy, I know you're scared, but I really think you should tell him. He has a right to know that the two of you are soulmates."

"Okay, I'm going to cut you off right there. First of all, there's no 'two of us', it's just me. I mean, he's my soulmate, but I'm not his. Second of all, there's nothing wrong with us just being friends. Being friends is great. I love it. I still get to see him all the time, and we hang out, and we go on walks, and all that jazz. We just don't, like, kiss and stuff. That's the only difference. Ergo, no big deal," he said, pulling the cutting boards closer now that his finger had stopped bleeding.

She sighed in resignation at his refusal. "I just wish you'd at least _try_ and tell him. You two are already so cute together," she said wistfully.

And no, he was not blushing- it was just suddenly getting a little warm in the kitchen, that's all.

They were damn cute together though, he'd give her that.

"We are, but you know what? We could never be together romantically anyway because Hiro would murder me if I so much as batted my eyelashes in his brother's direction." He meant it as a joke, but it came out a lot sadder than he intended.

She looked contemplative for a moment before breaking the awkward silence that followed his comment. "Maybe you should tell Hiro about your situation then." At his horrified look she continued, "Or maybe you could ask him why he gets so weird around you. Because sometimes he seems perfectly fine with you- even seems to like you- but then other times he looks ready to punch you."

He sighed heavily. "Yeah, I noticed. But I can't just ask him that! That would be insane."

"Well....maybe Wasabi or I could ask for you? Hiro doesn't seem to have a problem with either of us."

"Oh my god, would you?! That would be so helpful," he said. He felt like he was back in middle school, getting his friends to gather information about what someone else thought of him, but if it got results....

She smiled sunnily at him. "Sure thing, Freddy. What are friends for?"

* * *

Friends were apparently for indirectly breaking your heart, as he learned the next week.

"Freddy, remember when I told you I'd figure out what Hiro's deal was with you?" Honey asked, sliding up to him in the McDonald's booth he was currently stuffing his face in.

He nodded his head eagerly in affirmation, swallowing the food in his mouth and promptly choking on it. He really should have finished chewing first.

Wasabi reached across the table and thumped him on the back.

"Well... I may have told Gogo about it, and-"

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait-" Fred gasped. "Did you tell her everything? Like about-"

"Like about how the blind bandit stole your heart the moment you saw him because you're soulmates? Yeah, she told me about that," Gogo butted in, appearing out of nowhere to take a seat next to Wasabi.

Fred made some incoherent screeching noises and waved his arms frantically, but Gogo merely raised an eyebrow and popped an unimpressed bubble in his face.

"Calm down, lover boy. I'm not gonna spill your secrets to Tadashi or the pipsqueak," she said tonelessly.

"Freddy, I had to tell her. She's our friend. Besides, it was easier than trying to ask Hiro directly about it."

He groaned and flopped gracelessly over the table.

"Anyways, you wanted to know why short stuff doesn't like you? It's because he knows you're into Tadashi."

Fred waited for her to elaborate, but after a while it became clear that she wouldn't without prompting.

"And? Is that it?! Just because I have a crush on his brother, he's decided to hate me for all eternity?!"

She rolled her eyes. "No. I mean sort of, yeah, but that's not the whole picture. Look, Tadashi is a good looking guy. Even if he's not their soulmate, people want to date him. And people have dated him. And sometimes it's normal run of the mill stuff where they break up because they just weren't right for each other, but sometimes it's not.

"Some people like to date Tadashi because they think he'll be a cheap fuck," she said bluntly, giving him a warning look when he opened his mouth to object. "Listen, not all people are decent like you, okay? Some shitbags look at Tadashi and think 'Oh he doesn't have a soulmate- he must not care about falling in love'- which is 100% wrong. Tadashi wants love and romance and a soulmate connection more than anyone else I know.

"But the point is, these sleezebags go after him, and some of them are good at pretending like they care. So, Tadashi ends up dating them, and then somewhere down the road the truth comes out. And then Tadashi, who thought he might have found someone who genuinely cared for him, gets his heart broken after realizing that they never cared about him at all. And he's left thinking that nobody could ever want someone like him.

"Hiro of course, hates that this happens to his brother, so he's learned to become very protective of him. Honestly, you could be a damn saint and he'd still be suspicious about you. It's nothing personal. He just doesn't want Tadashi to get hurt again," she finished, stealing his fries while he stared at her in shock.

That was... a lot of information to process.

He wanted to go find Tadashi and wrap him up like a blanket burrito and hug him for the next fifty years. He also wanted to go find every dickbag that had ever used Tadashi so callously and punch them in the face.

There was also a guilty relief that Hiro didn't actually hate Fred for being... well, _Fred_.

"It sounds like the best option is for you to tell Hiro what's up. Maybe then he'll finally see that you only have good intentions for Tadashi," Wasabi said helpfully.

"Yeah... I guess so," Fred said.

Now the only problem was figuring out how to do that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no more 19 credit semesters  
> they suck ass


	5. Baymax

Sometimes Fred was overcome with the desire to bash his head into a wall. Those times usually came whenever he was experiencing writer's block. Coincidentally, that happened to be literally every single time he tried to write.

He dropped his head into his arms and groaned.

Maybe if he sacrificed a small animal to the writing gods they'd have mercy on him.

He lay hunched over his desk for a few more minutes, quietly contemplating running off to the circus and becoming a lion tamer before a knock at the door grabbed his attention.

"Coming!" he called out, scrambling to his feet. If he was lucky it would be someone he liked at the door, and they could distract him from his writing woes. If he was extra lucky it would be his soulmate. He dearly hoped it was the latter.

Lo and behold, when he swung the door open it was indeed Tadashi.

Tadashi and a large white mound of fluff whose tongue was happily lolling about.

"Oh my God- you got your guide dog?!" Fred gasped, almost reaching out to pet it before remembering how rude and potentially unsafe that could be; even if Tadashi already knew his way around Fred's apartment like it was a part of him.

Petting anyone's dog without permission was a no-no. Petting someone's service dog without permission was an absolute double no-no, as in you should give yourself a shame shower and confess your sin to a priest no-no.

Tadashi smiled, and although Fred couldn't see his eyes behind the sunglasses he could bet they were crinkling at the edges in that way that made his heart melt a little bit. "I sure did. Fred, meet Baymax. Baymax, say hi," he gently commanded.

Baymax immediately darted forward to greet him. "You can go ahead and pet him if you want. He's really soft. Hiro says he's like a cloud," Tadashi snickered.

Fred had to agree with Hiro on that one. Baymax was the floofiest, friendliest, most cloud like dog he'd ever met. He couldn't help but make cooing noises and talk nonsense to him as he rubbed his soft, white fur.

"Who's the cutest dog in the world, huh? Is it you? I bet it is! Yeah, you are! Hey, what kind of breed is he?"

"I think they said he was a...Samoyed? I'm not that good with dog breeds," Tadashi laughed. "The women at the facility told me it was kind of an unusual breed for guide dogs since they tend to be a little more stubborn. Also they shed a lot, but that's okay with me.

"I don't know what it was, but when I was meeting some of the dogs there and I got to Baymax I just knew he was the one." He crouched down tentatively and reached a hand out, smiling gently when Baymax butted his face into his palm.

Fred swore his heart turned into a puddle inside his chest. "Aww.... It's like you guys were made for each other."

"I suppose so," was all he replied.

"So did the facility name him?"

Tadashi's cheeks turned red. "No. I mean they did, but I changed it and we all made sure he got used to it before I took him home with me. It used to be Yuki," he said, shifting a little so that he was sitting instead of crouching.

Fred waited a moment before prompting, "And? Where did the name Baymax come from?"

The other man mumbled something that Fred didn't quite catch.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I named him after this plush toy I got when I was little. I broke my arm when I was like six, and my dad made it for me. He told me it was going to be my nurse. I was really into robots at the time, so he tried to make a friendly one that I could squeeze and cuddle. He'd always use this funny voice when he pretended to talk for him, always saying he was my personal healthcare companion," he rambled, trying to hide his blush in his new dog's fur.

Fred crawled around Baymax so he could throw an arm over the other's shoulders. "That is....the sweetest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Your dad sounds like he was a cool guy." He rubbed his hand up and down Tadashi's arm, sighing when his soulmate leaned into him.

"Yeah. He was pretty cool," Tadashi replied quietly.

"I wish I could see that toy though- I mean, what does a friendly plush robot look like?" he said, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Oh I still have him," Tadashi said, surprising him. "He usually sits on my bookshelf. Sometimes I take him down to sleep with me though."

Fred stared at him wide eyed and slack jawed.

Tadashi, noticing the unusual silence, leaned back and tilted his head at him until he figured out there was nothing wrong with his friend.

"....Do you want to see him?"

" _Yes_ ," he said much too quickly, scrambling to his feet. "Is your apartment unlocked?"

Tadashi sighed in resignation, getting to his feet as well, although at a much more sedate pace. "Yeah, knock yourself out."

That was all the permission he needed, booking it next door and rushing into Tadashi's room. Normally he would take a moment to appreciate being in there, but this time was different. This time he was a man on a mission, and nothing was going to distract him.

There, sitting atop Tadashi's small collection of Braille books and old novels from before he went blind that he kept out of sentimentality, sat Baymax the First.

He squealed, snatching it off the bookshelf and holding it close.

It was as huggable as he imagined.

He hurried back to his apartment to find his soulmate making himself comfortable in one of his armchairs with Baymax the Second at his feet.

"This is so cute, and I totally see why you name Baymax after him. Oh my God, I can't stop picturing little you carrying him around and hugging him. Damn, that must have been so fucking cute..."

Tadashi did his best not to bury his face in his hands. Fred's words made something flutter pleasantly in his stomach, but that didn't stop it from being embarrassing.

"I need to take a picture and send it to the gang, and then post it onto every single social media platform possible."

" _Fred_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooohoohoohooohooo look at that I finally found a way to add Baymax into one of these fics.
> 
> I know Samoyeds aren't typically guide dogs but I couldn't help it!!! It was too perfect for me to resist. Also, there't his therapy dog that I've met a few times that is a samoyed named Yuki, and he's the best and I love him and I W O U L D D I E F O R Y U K I
> 
> also sorry i haven't updated in forever, but what can I say??? sometimes it just be like that


End file.
